My Fairy Godmother Is a Drag Queen

Gr 9 Up–Chris is a high school senior caught in a Cinderella-like role at home and afraid to reveal his sexual orientation there or anywhere else. He narrates the story of the winter when he found love, self-respect, his stepsiblings' esteem, and a true friend in fashionista drag queen Duane/Coco Chanel Jones. Clawson deftly walks a thin line between realism and wish fulfillment, and readers will happily suspend disbelief. Chris is complex, admirable, and wholly likable, while the equally sharp and more acid-tongued Duane/Coco leavens the plot with enough humor and meddling to keep Chris buoyed up even when the rich, politically poised guy of Chris's dreams—who also happens to be the designated escort of his vapid stepsister—seems to choose the closet over true love and honesty. In this endearingly reconceived version of the fairy tale, the stepmother isn't cruel but rather a thoughtless drunk, the shoe is thrown more often than simply lost, and the fairy godmother spends more time helping stepfamily members apply makeup than dolling up Chris himself. In short, it's a spot-on modern version for contemporary teens, with an artful balance of serious insights about being true to oneself and riffs on pop culture.